F 392 

c=pv"i WESTERN TEXAS. 



VALLEY 



OF THE 



ITS SOIL, PRODUCTIONS, CLIMATE, 



&c, &c. 



NEW YORK. 

GEORGE F. NESBITT, STATIONER AND PRINTER, 
Comer of Wall and Water-streets. 

1847. 



PNS 



WESTERN TEXAS. 



VALLEY OF THE RIO GRANDE; 

ITS SOIL, PRODUCTIONS, &c, &c. 



It is a singular fact, that the soil of this extensive valley is composed 
of mineral constituents precisely similar to those which compose the 
Delta of the Nile, and there is scarcely a doubt that, under a proper 
system of culture, it will become equally productive. 

The Rio Grande resembles the Nile in many remarkable features. It 
has its source in towering primitive mountains, composed of red granite, 
identical in appearance and geological structure with the material from 
which the imperishable monuments of the Pharaohs were hewn. 

Below these mountains, at different elevations, are extensive formations 
of secondary limestone and sandstone ; vast fields of moving sand 
through which the river forces its devious way in its annual floods, by 
constantly changing channels ; and broad plains covered, like those of 
Upper Egypt, with silicious pebbles, such as flints, agates and chalcedony, 
intermingled with large petrified trees, such as are found near Cairo. 
Indeed, throughout its whole length and breadth, this extensive valley 
presents nearly the same geological characteristics as that of the Nile, 
and its soil, being made up of the detritus of similar rocky formations, 
must be similar in its chemical constituents. 

It is true that the Valley of the Rio Grande is not subject, like that of 
the Nile, to annual inundations, but it is more favored by climate, as the 
rains fall so frequently and in such quantities that the crops seldom fail 
from drought. Indeed, all the elements of fertility exist in this fine re- 
gion, and, as before observed, only require to be developed by a system 
of agriculture similar to that practised in Upper Egypt, to yield a return 
as ample as can be realized on the richest lands of that prolific country. 
The truth of this theory is practically evinced at El Paso, six hundred 



miles above Point Isabel, (as the crow flies,) where, by means of irriga- 
tion, the most abundant crops are raised with comparatively little labor. 

The time is probably not far distant when the Egyptian cotton will be 
cultivated in the valley of the Rio Grande to as great an extent as on the 
banks of the Nile. A few experiments have been made in the culture 
of the cotton plant in the vicinity of Matamoras, and have proved re- 
markably successful. It grows in this region with wonderful luxuriance, 
and yields abundantly, almost without labor or care. The sugar cane also 
here grows to an enormous size, and far exceeds in its products the cane 
of Louisiana or of any portion of Eastern Texas. 

It has been remarked by naturalists that tropical plants are more pro- 
ductive at or near the Northern limits of their growth, than near the 
equator. If this doctrine is correct, the culture of sugar cane will be 
found more profitable in the lower portion of the Valley of the Rio 
Grande than it is even in Cuba. Many valuable tropical fruits may also 
be grown in this section with great advantage. The orange, fig and 
pomegranate flourish with great luxuriance in the neighborhood of Mata- 
moras and Camargo. Such advantages of soil and climate cannot be 
overlooked, and it may be taken for granted that at no distant day, large 
portions of the country between Point Isabel and Loredo, and even above 
the Presidio del Rio Grande, will be covered with plantations of sugar 
cane and Egyptian cotton, interspersed with groves of oranges, figs, 
olives, and other fruits of the tropics, surpassing in luxuriance of growth 
and beauty of appearance the same productions in any other region of 
the South. That portion of the Rio Grande valley lying farther up — 
say from the Presidio road to one hundred miles above the mouth of the 
Puerco — with the land lying along the tributaries of these two rivers, is 
admirably adapted for even a more varied production, and will support 
and enrich a dense population. 

Indeed the valleys of the several tributary streams of this region are equal 
in all respects to the valley of the Colorado. That of the Puerco is said 
to be superior to it. These rich vales, and the whole region are sheltered 
from the icy winds of the North by high ranges of mountains, and enjoy 
a delightfully mild and temperate climate. Under the impotent sway of 
Spain, and the still^more impotent sway of Mexico, there has existed no 
stimulus to industry, and from this and other causes, these fertile lands 
have remained almost as desolate and unimproved as they were when oc- 
cupied alone as the hunting ground of the savage. That time has gone 
by. Another race will soon strike deep the roots of civilization in this 
favored region, and bring enterprise, industry and science to bear upon 



its affluent soil — a soil capable of supporting a more dense population 
than any other portion of the continent. 

PRODUCTIONS OF WESTERN TEXAS. 

Maize or Indian Corn yields a large and profitable return, with little 
trouble or expenditure. The average crop on good land is from fifty to 
seventy bushels per acre, and larger quantities have frequently been gath- 
ered. Two crops may be harvested annually ; the seed of the first being 
planted in February, and of the second late in June. A crop of wheat 
equal in quality to the best Kentucky, has been cut in May on land in 
"Western Texas, and the same land has yielded a heavy crop of corn in 
the ensuing October. 

Capital, and the requisite skill and labor, are all that is necessary to 
place many sections of Western Texas among the best wine producing 
countries in the world. The native grape has a fine flavor, and the vines 
are frequently seen festooning and overtopping trees from eighty to one 
hundred feet in height. On sandy ridges unfit for cultivation, the vines 
are most abundant. Should German emigrants from the Rhenish pro- 
vinces make the same efforts here as they made at Vevay, Indiana, entire 
success would unquestionably reward them. Almost every variety of 
the grape is found growing in this part of Texas. In the country near 
the Paso del Norte, on the Rio Grande, which, according to Humboldt, 
resembles the finest portions of Andalusia, the vine has long been culti- 
vated, and a wine is manufactured there which is held in high estimation. 
In the opinion of that sagacious naturalist, this region, in the article of 
wine, will yet become to the rest of the continent what France, Spain, 
Portugal and Italy, have been and are, to the North of Europe.* 

\From the Washington Union, May lZih.~\ 

* We published a few days since an intimation of a good route for a railroad to the 
Pacific, from the Lower Mississippi, through Texas, to the Rio del Norte, near El Paso, 
and from thence by the valley of the Gila to San Diego, on the Pacific. Since then we 
have seen the following letter from a resident on the Del Norte, describing the product- 
iveness of the valley of the Paso, near which the railroad would pass. Although this 
letter has reference to a different route, yet its account of the productiveness of that 
region makes it of value to any route. We therefore publish it. 

El Paso, January 25, 1S47. 

The United States forces, nnder command of Colonel Alexander W. Doniphan, took 
possession of the city of El Paso, department of Chihuahua, on Sunday, the 27th De- 
cember, 1846, two days after the battle of Bracito, the strength of his command being 
about 900 men. 

My object in this communication is to give the War Department, and the country at 
large, some idea of the resources of the fruitful valley of El Paso, and of its importance 
to the United Status. The settlement of El Paso extends from the falls of the Rio 
Grande, on the north, to the Presidio, on the south — a distance of twenty-two miles — 
and is one continuous orchard and vineyard, embracing, in its ample area, an indus- 
trious and peaceable population of at least S,000. The spacious valley is about midway 
between Santa Fe and Chihuahua, and is isolated from all other Mexican settlements 
by the mountains that rise on the east and west, and close into the river on the north 



6 

The Tobacco plant thrives best on a light, rich, warm soil, and the ex- 
periments made on the Guadaloupe show what may be done with this 
important production in favored locations in Western Texas. 

The Indigo plant is indigenous to the soil, and may become an article 
of export. It has long been manufactured for domestic use in Texas, 
and Texan Indigo is considered of a very superior quality. 

In the dry and barren localities, the cactus, on which the cochineal in- 
sect feeds, grows in great profusion, and cochineal of good quality is found 
in abundance in the country about Loredo and the Presidio del Rio 
Grande. 



and south. The breadth of the valley is about ten miles. The falls of the river are 
two miles north of the " Plaza Publico. ," or public square, and afford sufficient water 
power for grist and saw mills, enough to supply the entire settlement with flour and 
lumber. The most important production of the valley is the grape, from which are an- 
nually manufactured not less than 200,000 gallons of, perhaps, the richest and best wine 
in the world. This wine is worth $2 per gallon, and constitutes the principal revenue 
of the city. The El Paso wines are superior in richness of flavor and pleasantness of 
taste to anything of the kind I ever met with in the United States, and I doubt not that 
they are far superior to the best wines ever produced in the valley of the Rhine, or on 
the sunny hills of France. Also great quantities of the grape of this valley are dried in 
clusters and preserved for use during the winter ; in this state I regard them far superior 
to the best raisins thai are imported into the United States. 

If this valley were cultivated by an energetic American population, it would yield, 
perhaps, ten times the quantity of wine and fruits at present procured. Were the 
wholesome influences and protection of our republican institutions extended beyond the 
Rio Del Norte, an American population, possessing American feelings, and speaking 
the American language, would soon spring up here. To facilitate the peopling of this 
valley by the Anglo-American race, nothing would contribute so much as the opening of 
a communication between this rich valley and the Western States, by a turnpike, rail- 
road, or some other thoroughfare, which would afford a market for the fruits and wines 
of this river country. Perhaps the most feasible and economical plan, though not the 
most direct, of opening an outlet to the grape valley of the Rio Grande, would be the 
construction of a grand canal from this place following the meanderings of the river to 
its highest navigable point. If a communication by either of these routes were opened, 
this valley would soon become the seat of wealth, influence and refinement. It would 
be one of the richest and most fashionable parts of the continent. A communication 
between the valley of the Mississippi and that of the Del Norte, affording an easy 
method of exchanging the products of one for those of the other, will do more than 
anything else to facilitate the westward march of civilization and republican govern- 
ment. It would be an act of charity to this people to rid them of their present governors, 
and throw around them the shield of American protection. 

That the idea of a canal following the course of the Del Norte may not appear im- 
practicable, it may not be amiss to state that no country in the world is better adapted 
for the construction of canals than this valley. As the earth is sandy, canals are easily 
constructed ; but. there is a kind of cement intermixed with the sand that renders the 
banks of canals as firm as a wall. There is already a grand canal or acequia leading 
out from the river above the falls, extending through the entire length of the valley of El 
Paso, irrigating every farm and vineyard to the Presidio, where it rejoins the river. 

Pears, peaches, apples, quinces and figs, are produced in the greatest profusion. The 
climate of this country is most salubrious and healthful. The inhabitants here suffer 
more from the depredations of the Apaches than from any other cause. They are fre- 
quently robbed of all they possess, in one night, by the incursions of these lawless plun- 
derers. A few companies of dragoons would, however, soon drive them from their 
hiding places in the mountains, and put an end to their depredations. 

Add to the fruits and wines of this rich valley a vast quantity of corn, wheat, and 
other small grain, and the surplus production of the place will, under its present state of 
agriculture, amount to near one million of dollars per annum. What, then, would be 
the amount of the surplus under the advantages of American agriculture 1 

I have thought proper to make these suggestions to the War Department, as there is 
no corps of field and topographical engineers with this branch of the western army, 
whose duty it would have been to make such report. Respectfully, &c. 

JOHN T. HUGHES. 

His Excellency, Wm, L. Marcy, Secretary of War. 



The mulberry tree is a common production and of vigorous growth, in 
Western Texas, the climate of which is well adapted to the rearing of 
the silk worm. The experiment of producing silk has been made at San 
Antonio with the most satisfactory results. 

Sweet potatoes flourish in these latitudes — the prairie lands yielding 
400 to 500 bushels to the acre. The common potato is equally product- 
ive and of excellent quality. The February plantings yield a plentiful 
return in April and May, but the produce of this root when planted in 
the heat of summer, is inferior both in size and quality. 

The low alluvial lands, of course, are not suited to wheat, but above the 
line from Austin on the Colorado, across the San Antonio, Medina, Rio 
Frio and Nueces to the Rio Grande, and along the rolling lands of the 
Puerco, wheat of the finest quality can be raised in abundance. The 
same remark also applies to the land along the Guadaloupe range, to the 
San Saba. It is the humid and hot, not the dry and warm climate, that 
is unfavorable to wheat. 

Barley may be grown on the light, mellow soil of the sloping prairies 
and post oak lands ; the rolling districts will supply oats, rye and buck- 
wheat, in sufficient quantities for home consumption ; and the undulating 
and hilly districts will not disappoint the farmer in the production of 
hemp and flax. 

The soil and climate of this part of Texas are favorable to the growth 
of the vanilla vine, the fruit of which is exported from Mexico to Eu- 
rope, as well as to this country in smaller quantities, and is used for con- 
fectionary purposes ; but chiefly for mixing with and perfuming chocolate. 

As regards pasture, the whole face of the country — woodland and 
prairie, upland and bottom — is verdant with grass. The indigenous, 
prairie grass is tall, coarse, full of seed at the top, and, when young, re- 
sembles wheat in the spring. But in grasses the glory of the State is the 
musquit, found only in Western Texas. It yields a fine soft sward, pre- 
serves its verdure in the winter, and, beyond all comparison, affords the 
best wild pasture in the world. It has also the peculiar property of re- 
taining its nutritive quality after it has become dry and apparently dead, 
The upland and hilly region of Western Texas is carpeted with it, and 
never did bountiful nature spread out a more abundant or more excellent 
pasturage for sheep, than it affords. All that is wanting is to bring the 
white flocks to the green herbage, and thus turn this spontaneous produc- 
tion of a prolific soil to the use for which Providence designed it. 

From this slight but truthful sketch of the country, its productive capa- 
bilities and natural vegetation, it would seem reasonable to conclude that 



the agricultural emigrant, from whatever region he may hail, can be 
easily suited in Western Texas. If he come from the Southern States, 
with large capital, seeking large and rich returns, he may locate himself 
on the alluvial lands of the San Antonio, the Nueces, or the Rio Grande. 
If accustomed to a more temperate or a colder clime, and desirous of em- 
bracing with the cultivation of the earth, stock raising of all descriptions, he 
may go farther up the Rio Grande or settle upon the Los Moras, East Fork, 
or Puerco. The rich soil and ample range in and around these locations, 
irrigated by pure and rapid streams, will produce almost every thing that 
earth can yield for consumption or export, while the rearing of horses, 
mules, cattle and swine, not overlooking the noble Saxony and hardy me- 
rino, may be carried on there to an extent, and with an amount of cost 
and labor absolutely incredible to those who have never seen any portion 
of this Western Eden. Indeed the exuberance of nature and the benig- 
nity of the climate have left little, comparatively, for man to do. It is an 
open country and does not require the labor of a lifetime, before the 
plough can be struck deep into the soil ; and as to flocks, only a little at- 
tention is requisite, winter and summer, to keep them from running wild. 

In the nuts of the woods, especially the ground pea nut, hogs will long 
continue to find unbought and nutricious sustenance ; requiring only a 
few weeks feeding on corn to make the pork fat and firm enough for 
market in any part of the world. The increase of stock too, is much 
more rapid than in colder climates. It would cost more to raise one 
thousand chickens any where within the limits of the " Old Thirteen," 
than to raise one thousand head of cattle, or ten times that number of 
sheep, in the region of country referred to. 

The whole of Texas, but in a singular degree the western portion, 
from the Colorado to the Rio Grande, and from the Gulf to the Moun- 
tains, is free from those accumulations of stagnant water, which, under 
the burning sun of the South, render a large portion of the southern bor- 
ders of the United States, at certain seasons, little better than a pestifer- 
ous desert. The porous nature of the soil, the gradual elevation of the 
land toward the interior, and the general rise of the banks from the beds 
of the rivers, preclude the formation of swamps to any injurious extent. 

CLIMATE. 

The climate of Texas is as varied as the productive qualities of its 
soil. On the Gulf and near large rivers, especially those toward the 
East, which are occasionally overflowed, it resembles that of the neigh- 
boring States of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, with an ample 



9 

abatement, however, of injurious influences. The reason of its greater 
salubrity is this : The Texan forests are as free from the rank under- 
growth of the heavily wooded districts of those States, as the level region 
of Texas generally is from those putrid swamps which under the almost 
vertical sun of the South, exbale the elements of disease and death. In 
Texas, from river to river, the country consists of a series of open accliv- 
ities ; while in Louisiana and Mississippi the land similarly situated, 
being covered with compact forests and level, retains the annual inunda- 
tions, and the stagnant moisture with the dense vegetation it nourishes, 
acted upon by the solar heat, generates noxious miasma, the ever fruitful 
cause of malignant fever. Intermittent fevers — such as are common in 
all new countries, when the processes of clearing and cultivation first 
expose to the sun's heat the vegetable deposit of ages— are not unknown 
on the low alluvial soil of Texas ; but with the progress of population 
and improvement these fevers diminish in violence, and ultimately dis- 
appear. 

The prevailing summer wind in Texas is from the South West, and 
besides being healthy and agreeable, it greatly tempers the heat of July 
and August with its grateful and constant play. While the midsummer 
air of the alluvial region of Mississippi and Louisiana is surcharged with 
mephitic vapor, the clear atmosphere of Texas is quickened and reno- 
vated by the invigorating breeze from the Gulf, which, passing over the 
dry, verdant and rolling surface of the interior, enlivens the spirits of the 
settler and gives a zest to even passive physical enjoyment. Without 
this refreshing and exhilarating breeze, which continues, with but slight 
interruptions for six months of the year, the temperature of the low lands 
would certainly be oppressive and the climate unhealthy. 

By thermometrical calculations, made in different sections of the 
country, from April to September, for a period of three years, the mer- 
cury has been found to range from G3° to 100°. Average heat at 9 
o'clock in the morning, 73° — at 12 o'clock noon, 83° — at 3 o'clock in the 
afternoon, 77°. 

But the indications of the thermometer can give no accurate idea of 
the climate of Western Texas, to those who have never experienced its 
effects. The same degree of heat which, in South Carolina, Georgia, 
Alabama and Mississippi would be overpowering, in this portion of Texas 
'would occasion comparatively little inconvenience. From the first of 
April till the close of September, the benignant breezes to which we have 
referred, commence soon after sun-rise, and continue until 3 or 4 P. M., 
2 



10 

when they gradually die away. After sun-set a light breeze again 
springs up, and the atmosphere grows cooler and cooler until early dawn. 

The south west wind, so contributive to health and comfort on the level 
region of the coast, becomes an unmingled blessing in the north-west por- 
tion of Texas, as it sweeps among the cool springs, clear streams, wooded 
bottoms, timbered islands, and flower-spangled prairies of that region. 
The rolling country stretching from Austin on the Colorado, over the 
head waters of the Guadaloupe, San Antonio, Medina, and Nueces, to the 
Eio Grande, and embracing north of this line the whole range of country 
from the fertile valley of the Puerco along the spurs of the Guadaloupe 
range to the San Saba mountains, (whose vales and acclivities are as rich 
in soil as their mines are known to be in the precious metals,) is swept by 
this salubrious sea wind. 

The greater portion of this beautiful region, which has justly received 
the name of the " Italy of America" is blessed with a temperature de- 
lightful to the senses, favorable to life, and adapted to the production of 
most of the comforts and luxuries which render life agreeable. Within 
this range the mildness of the seasons enables the planter and the farmer 
to raise whatever they choose, and to accumulate stock of every kind 
almost without toil or expense. This is the region of country most suit- 
able to a Northern constitution, and here settlers from the northern 
sections of the United States may at once lay the foundation of future 
wealth, and plant the seeds of civilization. Nor need the European 
emigrant be deterred by apprehensions on the score of health, from re- 
moving to a soil possessing powers of production which all but anticipate 
the wants of man. R. H. Chinn, a Kentucky gentleman, in a communi- 
cation published by him in 1838, thus compares Texas with Kentucky : 
" I have seen," says he, " almost every acre of Kentucky, and I do be- 
lieve that Texas has greatly the advantage. The greater part of Texas 
is, by nature, at once prepared for the plough of the husbandman. About 
one-third of Kentucky is fertile and capable of successful settlement and 
cultivation ; nine-tenths of all explored Texas are of that character ; and 
the soil and climate of Texas can produce advantageously every thing 
which Kentucky caw, and many things requisite for the wants of -man 
that Kentucky cannot. The laborious, protracted and expensive work of 
clearing a plantation is necessary in but few places. This gives to the 
country a great and decided advantage." 

General Pike, of the U. S. Army, in his Travels, says of Texas — " It 
has one of the most delightful temperatures in the world. Take it gen- 
erally, it is one of the richest, most prolific, and best watered countries in 
the world." 



31 

Col. Longworthy, of Vermont, who travelled over Texas, remarks in 
his published narrative, that he had seen " nearly all of the Northern 
States, and Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Louisiana, which were 
certainly, in relation to soil, climate and productions, entitled to the fa- 
vorable opinion which has often been expressed with regard to them ;" 
" but," he unhesitatingly adds, " in goodness of soil, in the extent and 
variety of productions, in amenity of climate, in local and commercial ad- 
vantages, in short, in every thing which conduces to the comfort of man, 
Texas has a decided preference over any country he has ever seen.'' 

General Ward, who had served long in the Mexican army, describes 
the climate of the interior of Texas as differing but little from that of the 
" South of Europe, Buenos Ayres, and the Cape of Good Hope." 

Captain Marryatt, in his " Diary in America," speaks thus : " In the 
Southern portions of America there are millions of acres upon which 
cotton can be cultivated, particularly in Texas, the soil of which is so 
congenial that they can produce 1000 lbs. to the 400 lbs. raised by the 
Americans." 

It is to Texas particularly, he says, that England must look for this 
product. It may be asked, how is it, as Texas is so far south, that a 
white population can labor there? It is because Texas is a prairie 
country and being situated on the Gulf of Mexico, a sea breeze is always 
blowing across the whole country, rendering the air cool and refreshing, 
notwithstanding the heat of the sun's rays. 

¥m. Kennedy, Esq., British Consul, who travelled all over Texas, and 
still resides in Galveston, in his able work, thus sums up its advantages : 

" All competent judges who have explored the country agree in opin- 
ion, that for apparent depth and richness, and capabilities of raising the 
commodities necessary for animal subsistence and enjoyment, the soil of 
Texas is not surpassed by that of any other country in the Western 
hemisphere. After traversing the border and advancing toward the in- 
terior, this singular country exhibits its beauties and developes its re- 
sources. In the rolling and hilly country the grazier and cultivator of 
products, familiar to the European farmer, may obtain easy and ample re- 
turns from plains and valleys unrivalled for natural attractions ; and on 
the low line of the coast, the enterprise of the Southern planter will be 
prodigally rewarded by the vegetable treasures of a tropical clime. To 
a settler who desires to enjoy the advantages of the upper region, with- 
out fixing his residence too remote from the sea, the Western part of 
Texas, with its sparkling streams flowing through a fertile and picturesque 
country, is more suitable than the Eastern. But it is the peculiar charm 



12 

of Texas that it offers to the most dissimilar tastes and habits the means 
of selecting a place of rest in some congenial spot." 

During the spring and summer of 1845, the compiler of this state- 
ment travelled over a large portion of Texas, and he must own the ac- 
counts above given are in his judgment truthful and accurate. In addi- 
tion to the results of his own personal observation, he learned much from 
the Texan Eangers, stationed at San Antonio, and examined a great 
many Mexican traders and old inhabitants who had traversed the whole 
of the country lying North of the Presidio, on this side of the Rio 
Grande. They ail concurred in pronouncing this region, beyond com- 
parison, the best portion of Texas. Col. Francis W. Johnson, for twenty 
years a resident of Texas, a gentleman of high character and great intel- 
ligence, by a letter now in the possession of the writer, fully confirms all 
that others have said in eulogy of Texas, and especially of the country up 
the Eio Grande and its tributaries, Los Moras, the Puerco and East 
Pork. Similar testimony is borne by the gallant Captain Walker.* 

Park Place House, > 

New York, December 5th, 1846. £ 

* My Dear Sii — In answer to your request to state what I know, and my opinion, of 
the country north of the Presidio-road and on the east side of the Rio Grande, I take 
great pleasure in making the following statement: 

From my long residence, and general knowledge, of almost every part of Texas, I 
have no hesitation in saying that the country lying between the points indicated by you, 
and especially that part lying between the Los Moras and the Rio Puerco, embraces a 
territory that will compare with any other district in Texas. While the valleys of the 
Rio Grande, as well as those of the Los Moras and Rio Puerco, are of the richest and 
most fertile soils, the hills or highlands afford the finest pasturage for horses, mules, 
horned cattle, sheep, and goats. 

It may be asked why a country combining so many natural advantages has remained, 
thus long, unsettled. To this question I answer: first, because the American settle- 
ments, from the very nature of the contracts for colonizing, were confined mostly to the 
eastern portion of Texas; for instance, those of Col. S. P. Austin, which embraced a 
larger extent of territory than those of any other Empresario, and who, of the many 
ihat made contracts for introducing families and colonizing various districts, was the 
only one who completed a single contract ; secondly, because the Government of 
Mexico could not, or would not, afford protection to that frontier ; and, since the Inde- 
pendence of Texas, to the inroads of the Indians has been added that of the Mexicans. 

In conclusion, and in addition to what I have already said, it may be proper to say 
that the navigation of the Rio Grande, at no distant day, will afford facilities, and hold 
out such inducements, as cannot fail to enlist the employment of an immense amount of 
capital. The trade of the Northern Provinces of Mexico (which is highly important 
both on account of the precious metals and stock) will, from the very nature of things, 
pass through this channel as the most natural, direct, safe, and cheap. Taking this 
view of the subject, it is a question of no little importance to determine a suitable point 
at or near the head of navigation, at which to establish a depot. In casting about, it 
has appeared to me, that at or near the confluence of the Rio Puerco is that point which, 
when we consider the advantages of navigation, the trade of the Northern Provinces 
of Mexico, and the extent and fertility of the country on the east side of the Rio 
Grande, Los Moras, Rio Puerco, and other tributaries of those streams, it is hazarding 
but little to say that it will form one of the most important commercial as well as agri- 
cultural and grazing point and territory, of equal extent, to be found on this continent. 

Any information, in relation to this or any other portion of Texas, which I may be in 
possession of, 1 will freely communicate to you. Yours truly, 

F. W. JOHNSON. 

From my personal knowledge, and good sourcesof information, relative to the section 
of country described, I fully concur in the within statement. 

S. H. WALKER, 
Cajit. U. S. Dragoons. 



13 

Captain Daniel Ruggles, of 5th Infantry, U. S. Army, in a letter dated 
Reynosa, Mexico, (a town on the Rio Grande, between Matamoras and 
Camargo) Dec. 10th, 1846, writes in relation to such portions of this 
great valley as had come under his observation, as follows : " All persons 
of experience in the growth of sugar and cotton, concur in the opinion 
that this valley is the garden spot of the world, surpassing beyond all 
comparison the lower Mississippi, and I doubt not, the valley of the Nile 
in the palmiest days of its prosperity. This whole valley is composed of 
an alluvial deposit of inexhaustible fertility. I have examined," he con- 
tinues further, " the cotton, corn and sugar, along this river, and although 
these products receive comparatively no cultivation, still the results are 
wonderful. There are points where the wild cotton is apparently so abun- 
dant as to well repay gathering. The Mexicans do not cultivate it, they 
say, because their rapacious government, will thereby find the less of 
which to rob them. I have been assured that one cotton stock has been 
known to produce four hundred and eighty well filled bolls of cotton, and 
from its luxuriant growth, I can well credit it ; and that from one hill 14 
lbs. of cotton in the seed has been gathered. This outdoes the Mississippi 
Valley. I saw sugar cane twelve feet high and not of full growth." 

In addition to all these authorities, I may be permitted to cite that of 
Capt. Henry, of the U. S. Army. Many interesting papers from his pen 
have appeared in the New York Spirit of the Times. In that paper of 
the 1st of August, he says : " Who can describe this lovely valley and 
its delicious climate ? No poet in the fervency of his imagination could 
more than color the scene. Nothing can exceed the delicious coolness of 
this climate. 

" Nay, start not, ye Northern farmers, ye yankees of yankee land, and 
laugh at any thing like coolness under this tropical sun. No summer cli- 
mate can exceed it in loveliness. Keep out of the sun and you never 
feel the heat. A constant breeze is blowing, too strong at times for com- 
fort, but always delicious. Even in the sun you are not aware of its 
power, so refreshing is this everlasting breath of nature. No part of 
Texas equals in salubrity or surpasses in fertility the valley of the Eio 
Grande. The river courses its way from the mountains through a varied 
climate, that will produce any thing, from wheat to sugar and cotton. 
Nothing can surpass the rich growth of the vines. This region of coun- 
try is bound to be settled very rapidly, even to the prejudice of other 
parts of Texas. If nothing else points it out as a desirable location, the 
fact that the Eio Grande is really a navigable stream, is sufficient. There 
are to be sure rivers in Texas — the Trinity, Brazos and Colorado — that 
at certain seasons will admit of navigation, but they are at all times un- 



14 

certain, whereas the Rio Grande, for several hundred miles, is rarely low 
enough to prevent its navigation by light draught steamers. In point of 
health it is unsurpassed in the world. There are no causes for disease ; 
there are no swamps, which in the heat of summer throw out their poi- 
sonous miasma. The banks are high and the country preserves that 
character to the Colorado. Let this boundary be settled, and there will 
be a tide of emigration to this favored region, that will be unequalled. 
Tell our Northern farmers, the Yankees, to come and judge for them- 
selves, and ten to one they will be so pleased that they will settle here. 
Cultivation can be carried on here with white labor, I think, beyond a 
doubt. The impression that has gone abroad of the unhealthiness of this 
climate, of its various insects and animals is all humbug. Nothing 
would give me more pleasure than to see this valley settled by that class 
of men. They would make it one flower garden, from the source of the 
river to its mouth." 

EMIGRATION TO TEXAS. 

Few persons can form an adequate idea of the stream of population 
ready to flow into Texas, so soon as the existing war shall be closed and 
security restored upon the border. Nor is it easy for people in this sec- 
tion of the Union to realise the facilities with which the face of the 
country can be dotted over with plantations and farms, and brought into 
a high state of cultivation. We generally associate with the idea of 
settling a new country, the toil of many years in clearing away dense 
forests. Two hundred dollars will buy a quarter section of the public 
land in any of the new States of the West ; two thousand dollars will not 
render more than one half of it fit for the plough ; but in Texas the land 
may be purchased at prices which will fairly remunerate the seller, and 
the second year the planter and farmer may bring under cultivation all 
the soil his whole disposable force can manage. It is therefore only the 
work of a few years, not of a life-time, to settle and subdue such a terri- 
tory. The emigration from the southern States to the coast region, and 
far up the rivers, will be immediate and immense. The whole upper 
country in Western Texas will be settled and cultivated by free labor. 
By men of intelligence in Texas this is not doubted. No field like this 
has been opened to the sinewy arm of northern labor. Into this region 
too will over-populated, industrial Germany pour her uncounted thous- 
ands. It has already become, and will continue to be, the El Dorado of 
that quiet, indefatigable and thrifty people. In relation to this point, we 
have indications that cannot be mistaken. Bishop Odine, who returned 
from a visit to Europe, in 1845, states that there was a furor of enthusi- 



15 

asm in Belgium, caused by the accounts of Texas received there from 
German residents in that country, which those only can understand who 
have witnessed it. He says that had it not been for the agitation of the 
Oregon question, there would have been ten thousand emigrants from 
Antwerp alone, that season ; that the ultimate extent of emigration could 
not with any certainty be estimated ; one thing only being unquestionable, 
that it would be immense. From Mayence 1400 had embarked in a 
single day, and 20,000 would soon follow, if hostilities did not take place. 

The war holds in check — it has not turned aside — this human flood. 
The German settlers in Texas are doing remarkably well, notwithstand- 
ing the want of protection on the frontier, and the many obstacles they 
have encountered, as strangers, in a new country. They have recently 
commenced a settlement on the Llano which is rapidly progressing. This 
is sixty miles from Fredericksburgh. The land in the valley of the 
Llano is yerj fertile and productive, and the climate even more healthy 
than the older settlement of Braunfels or Fredericksburgh. This region 
is elevated from 1000 to 1500 feet above the level of the Gulf. The air 
is sufficiently pure and invigorating for emigrants from the mountainous 
regions of Europe. The gardens and fields of the Germans, supplied 
them, even the first year, with more produce than they could consume. 

There is also a settlement on the Pierdenales, and another is soon to 
be formed on the San Saba whose extensive and fertile valley is capable 
of sustaining half a million of souls. This is within the range of country 
we have described as equal to any on the globe for the production of 
wheat, barley, rye, oats and all the valuable cereals. The Germans can 
testify to the truth of this statement. They have already constructed 
flouring mills and saw mills, which are in full and profitable operation. 

Encouraging as this sketch may seem, the valley of the upper Eio 
Grande possesses many advantages even over these settlements. Let 
two hundred pioneer families from the north once be located in this quar- 
ter, and more than half the work of peopling the whole country will be 
accomplished. No people can be compared to our own in the rapidity 
with which they fell the forest, erect habitations, and subdue the virgin 
soil in a new country. Around such a nucleus the European emigrants 
will cluster and flourish, as naturally and as certainly as the harvest fol- 
lows seed time. This opinion will be verified as soon as the smoke of 
the cannon has cleared away. Here locations judiciously chosen will 
present the advantages of a healthy, easily cultivated, productive country 
on the one hand, and on the other, will command a trade equal if not su- 
perior to that of St. Louis, Missouri. This brings us to the only remain- 
ing point to be considered, which is — 



16 



THE COMMERCE OF THE RIO GRANDE. 

The time is at hand when the attention of business men and capitalists 
cannot fail to be drawn to channels of trade soon to be opened in this 
quarter. Water does not more naturally flow to the ocean than trade 
concentrates at points indicated by natural advantages, unless thrown 
into circuitous and artificial channels by conventional restrictions. Re- 
straints heretofore existing in trade, on this new south-western boundary 
of our Republic, will be thrown off on the return of peace. The capacity 
of the Rio Grande for steamboat navigation, is no longer a matter of 
doubt. From Point Isabel to Camargo, a distance of 200 miles, and 
near 500 by the windings of the river, steamers pass daily at the lowest 
stages of the water. Lieut. Tilden, in the steamboat Major Brown, 
recently went up three hundred miles farther, to Loredo, near the point 
where General Wool crossed with his army. The steamboat met but a 
single obstacle, a sand bank, over which she forced her way without dif- 
ficulty. The river was at the time unusually low. Here, on the left 
bank of the river, Cannel Coal was found in abundance and of an ex- 
cellent quality. Six or eight tons were taken on board, and measures 
have since been adopted to supply from this source our steamers in the 
Gulf. 

The writer is inclined to believe, from all he has been able to learn on 
the subject, that the junction of the Rio Grande with the Puerco will be 
the head of steamboat navigation on the former. The spot is 400 miles 
from Point Isabel in a direct line, and near 1000 by the course of the 
river. That this point will speedily become a place of commanding im- 
portance, may be briefly shown. 

From the Gulf to the junction of the rivers is a region of varied soil 
and climate, suitable for the cultivation of sugar, cotton, wheat, corn, and 
fruits and vegetables of all descriptions ; and embracing, still farther back 
along the Guadaloupe range, inexhaustible and perpetual pasture of the 
finest quality for the raising of sheep and other domestic animals. With 
all these desiderata it is, as has already been shown, peculiarly adapted 
to free labor. The advantages of steamboat navigation, as well as the 
natural features of the country, would seem to point out the confluence 
of the Puerco and Rio Grande as a convenient business place ; and al- 
though not favorable to the building of towns merely on paper, the 
writer, for the sake of illustration, and of establishing a point from 
whence distances can be measured, will name the embryo town, or city^ 
Hermosa, the Mexican or Spanish word for Beautiful. 

On a line S.E, from the place above indicated, and about 150 miles 



17 

distant therefrom, lies San Antonio, Texas ; and 40 miles nearer in the 
same direction is Castroville, a flourishing German and French settle- 
ment. Ilermosa must command a large portion of the business of ex- 
change and supply of the whole upper region of "Western Texas, as well 
as of the fertile valleys of the Puerco and the Eio Grande (stretching 
far up beyond the junction of these Streams, and including, on the latter 
river, the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico), and also a large share of the 
peltry trade of the Rocky Mountains. On the opposite side of the river 
lies the province of Coahuila, where, at convenient distances, supplies of 
horses, mules, cattle and sheep, may be obtained in abundance for the use 
of thefirst settlers. Hermosa would thus become a depot and market 
for a large, healthy, and highly productive portion of Western Texas, 
and must, from this circumstance alone, grow in a few years to be a 
place of no small importance. 

But in a commercial point of view it has other and still greater ad- 
vantages. That it must necessarily command a very extensive and 
profitable commerce with the Northern Provinces of Mexico, lying west 
of the Rio Grande, will, on an examination of its natural facilities, 
become apparent. The war, and the consequent lack of security on the 
frontier, have alone prevented the whole overland trade between the United 
States and Mexico from passing through the valley of the Rio Grande. 
But for these drawbacks it would long ago have taken that direction. 
That the Santa Fe route cannot compete with this new avenue of inter- 
national commerce, may be easily shown. 

In the first place, Santa Fe, although the capital of New Mexico, does 
not contain more than 3,500 inhabitants. For many years the mines, 
though rich, have been poorly worked, and the consumption of goods at 
that place has been comparatively small. Santa Fe is, in fact, a mere 
point, a quasi port of entry, where the traders from the United States 
and from the Northern Departments of Mexico meet for traffic. It is this 
traffic, this exchange of merchandise for the precious metals, which has 
given to Santa Fe its vast importance, and the commerce of the prairies 
centred there all the interest of distant ocean navigation. 

The extent of this trade has never been accurately known — or, if 
known, it has never been published to the world. Those who knew 
most about it have been engaged in the trade, and had therefore, strong 
motives for keeping their information to themselves. Gen. Almonte, in 
his elaborate report to the Supreme Government in 1834, estimated the 
amount of bullion, annually passing to the United States through this 
channel, at two millions of dollars. 

That the Santa Fe trade has contributed largely to build up, enrich 
3 



38 

and give importance to St. Louis, is most certain ; and that the flourish- 
in" - town of Independence on the Missouri is indebted for its origin and 
subsequent prosperity to the same cause, is no less true. For more than 
twenty-five years this trade has been perseveringly carried on, often with 
immense and never without large returns. Narratives of the stirring- 
border incidents of the present season (1846) have given a degree of 
publicity to the details of its importance and extent, which they had never 
before obtained. 

It is now well ascertained that more than one million of dollars, in gold 
and silver, has been invested in merchandise for the " prairie voyages " 
during the past year. Philadelphia, and not New York, has for many 
years furnished the principal portions of the goods for the Santa Fe trade. 
These goods have been sent over the mountains, down the Ohio, and up 
the Mississippi to St. Louis. From that place to Santa Fe, the distance 
is 1200 miles, over bad roads and through predatory tribes of Indians. 
As a protection from the latter, squadrons of United States troops have, 
on several occasions, by order of the Government, accompanied the large 
caravans. 

Independence has of late years become the point of departure for a 
majority of the Santa Fe traders. Some, however, have gone and con- 
tinue to go by way of Van Buren, up the Arkansas river, and from 
thence eight hundred miles by land, over the prairies. A trade must be 
profitable that will justify, year after year, such distant and costly over- 
land transportation, and any new line that will relieve it from the onerous 
transit charges referred to, must — other things being equal — command 
the business. 

David Waldo, a highly intelligent and respectable merchant, for twenty 
years engaged in this overland trade, estimates its amount during the past 
season at nine hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred dollars 
worth of merchandise — as follows : 

Value of goods, first cost, -'-..." $987,500 

400 large ox and mule wagons, - - 75,000 

1750 mules, ----- 70,000 

1000 yoke of oxen, - 35,000 

550 men for the trip, - 75,000 

Freight, insurance, &c. to St. Louis, - - 93,780 

Provisions, and outfit of all kinds, - - 61,000 

$409,780 

No better authority can be given than that from which the above esti- 
mate is derived. It shows the cost of transportation on less than one mil- 
lion dollars worth of goods to be nearly four hundred and ten thousand 



19 

dollars, to Santa Fe. Further shipments of goods were made after the 
date of Mr. Waldo's estimate, and with a fair allowance for the additional 
vehicles, &c, required to transport them, the aggregate for the past sea- 
son may be fairly set down at five hundred wagons, besides pack mules, 
and nearly one thousand men. This would seem to indicate, what is no 
doubt the fact, that considerable more than one million of dollars has been 
invested in this bold traffic, during the past year, and that the expenses 
have been proportionably heavy. Indeed, such are the unavoidable ex- 
penses by this circuitous route, that merchants whose sales have averaged 
only one hundred per cent, on first cost, have deemed it a good .year's 
business, when their net profits have reached forty per cent. 

Now there is no doubt that the same amount of goods may be deliv- 
ered at Hermosa, on the Rio Grande, for very little (if any) more than 
the cost of transportation between the city of New York and St, Louis, 
Missouri ; to say nothing of the economy of time, an important element 
in commercial transactions. For example, but one trip a year can be 
made between this city and Santa Fe, via St. Louis, while four trips can 
be made within the same period, with great ease, to the mouth of the 
Puerco, on the Rio Grande. 

But this saving of time is by no means the only consideration. A 
brief examination of the map will disclose other advantages. Let it be 
borne in mind that Santa Fe, as already stated, is not the portion of Mex_ 
ico where any considerable amount of this merchandise is consumed ; but 
a mere point en route, where the Mexican traders from the South meet 
those from the United States. There the merchandise is taken from the 
heavy wagons and placed upon pack mules, when the Mexican Jason, in 
his turn, commences a journey in search of the golden fleece. 

Leaving Santa Fe, for 320 miles, the Mexican merchants continue 
down the East or Texas side of the Rio Grande to the Paso del Norte 
where they cross the river and enter a small but thrifty settlement of 
near 8,000 inhabitants. From the Paso del Norte to Chihuahua, the cap- 
ital of the province of the same name, is 230 miles farther, or 550 miles 
from Santa Fe, and 1750 from St. Louis — while from Hermosa to Chi- 
huahua the distance is not more than 150 miles. The city of Chihuahua 
contains 30,000 inhabitants ; the province is rich in valuable mines, and 
is one of the finest wool growing regions in America. Wool is, indeed, 
the staple of the State and its first outlet to a profitable market will be 
the Valley of the Rio Grande. The annual consumption of foreign 
goods in this provinee, is set down by intelligent Mexican merchants at 
from two millions to three millions of dollars. 

Duraugo, with a larger population than Chihuahua, and deriving four 



20 

millions of dollars annually from the mines, of course consumes a still 
larger quantity. The capital contains 25,000 people, is 800 miles from 
Santa Fe, 2,000 from St. Louis, and only 360 from Hermosa ; while the 
department of Coahuela stretches along the west side of the Rio Grande, 
and its capital, containing a population of 30,000, is within 150 miles of 
Hermosa. 

The small and not wealthy province of New Leon is quite in the 
neighborhood. 

In brief, the region of which Hermosa forms the most convenient depot 
and commercial emporium, comprehends the entire provinces of New 
Mexico, Chihuahua, portions of Sinaloa on the Gulf of California, Du~ 
rango, Zacatecas, and the northern portions of Xalisco. The most remote 
of these is not more than 500 miles from Hermosa. "Within this circle, 
too, are obtained two-thirds of all the gold and silver extracted annually 
from the mines of Mexico. 

No practical man will aver that the profits on merchandise exported to 
this region will continue to be as large as they have been ; but in lieu of 
this the consumption will be greatly increased and the returns quicker 
' and more sure ; while the navigation of the Rio Grande to such a distance 
in the interior, will create an active traffic in numerous articles of real 
value, which have hitherto lain dormant for want of the means of trans- 
portation to a suitable market. 

Heretofore the ports of Vera Cruz, Matamoras and Tampico on the 
Gulf, and Mazatlan and Guaymas on the California side, have been the 
principal starting points for this portion of the interior ; and the English 
and French merchants monopolized the lion's share, until the Santa Fe 
traders with bold and daring enterprise put in for a small portion of the 
profits. 

In conclusion, if any thing further were wanting to show that the 
Santa Fe trade may be thrown into this new channel and its field en- 
larged many fold, it will be found in the fact that during the last six years 
of active or threatened war between Texas and Mexico, the traders from 
the Northern provinces of Mexico, without any safe passport, without any 
adequate protection against the Indians, have made their way to San 
Antonio and Corpus Christi, and brought with them on an average, 
$300,000 annually, in gold and silver, for the purchase of goods. 

No wonder, then, that the French nation, with a far-reaching and clear- 
sighted sagacity made tempting overtures to the Texan Government, 
with a view of obtaining exclusive privileges in the trade of the Valley 
of the Rio Grande. %. %. %. 

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



014 645 771 A 



